Waste disposal of excess or unwanted residue from industrial processes where such excess or residue consists of slurries of particulate matter and contaminated liquid, may be facilitated if the particulate matter can be separated from the liquid. One example of such a slurry is that of residual ready-mixed concrete delivered to construction sites.
Ready-mixed concrete is typically delivered to construction sites, when significant quantities are required, by concrete mixer trucks. In large projects, further concrete handling equipment may then be required for placement of the concrete at positions remote from the delivering trucks, such as concrete pumping units and crane slung hoppers.
To maintain mixer trucks and other concrete handling equipment in good working order it is essential that residual concrete be removed from the surfaces of the equipment, such as mixer drums, chutes, pipes and hoppers and the like, by cleaning with water spray.
Frequently, the slurry so produced is allowed to discharge to some location on the construction site, or worse, into storm water drains. Discharge onto the construction site may result in the leaching of toxic water from the setting slurry into ground water or become a nuisance for later work such as landscaping for example. Discharge to drains is both illegal in many jurisdictions and may lead to blockage as well as pollution of waterways.
It is an object of the present invention to address or at least ameliorate some of the above disadvantages.